


One of a Kind, Two of a Kind, or the Three Musketeers

by Phandancee74



Category: Legacies (TV 2018), The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Dryad!Caroline, F/F, F/M, Malivore - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:22:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29269443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phandancee74/pseuds/Phandancee74
Summary: Caroline recognizes how hard it is for Elena to be a doppelgänger, her fate predestined as well as her face. It's pretty tough being the last of your kind too though, and Caroline is determined to protect them both, with some very helpful Bennetts on their side.A fic that integrates Malivore and the larger supernatural universe into TVD from the start.
Relationships: Bonnie Bennett & Caroline Forbes & Elena Gilbert, Bonnie Bennett & Sheila "Grams" Bennett, Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson, Elena Gilbert/Stefan Salvatore, Sheila "Grams" Bennett & Caroline Forbes
Comments: 9
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

It was easy for a Dryad to lose track of time. If Caroline let her mind wander deep into the ground and run along each root in her forest to make sure they were growing well and deep, it could take years before she finished and thought to check on anything else. She wasn’t too surprised therefore to find that Bonnie Bennet, her newest charge, had grown significantly since she was presented to Caroline a few days after her birth. However, Caroline could sense that it wasn’t Bonnie that needed her help now, for all that the toddler had been left asleep under her branches. 

Caroline stepped gently out of her tree making sure to shape the roots beneath so that they gave the little girl a less lumpy place to rest. A light spell had been placed on Bonnie to calm and protect her and Caroline thought it best to leave it as she walked purposefully in the direction of Abby Bennet. By the time she caught up with her friend and charge, the woman was clearly worse for wear. Caroline settled her hand on Abby’s shoulder and allowed some of the life from her forest to flow into Abby. A normal witch would not have been able to accept nature’s gift like this but the Bennetts had made a deal long ago that entwined their power with that of Caroline and either could strengthen the other when needed.

“You should have called me.” Caroline insisted as Abby recovered.

“There wasn’t time. You found Bonnie?”

“Yes, of course. She’s fine. Where is Sheila?”

“With the other girl.”

Caroline hummed. “It appears I’ve missed something again.”

Abby smiled at Caroline, used to her friend’s comings and goings from her life. “One of Bonnie’s friends has some strange magic ties, I hadn’t mentioned to you because I didn’t recognize them until _the_ vampire hunter showed up.”

“Mikael?” Caroline asked, refusing to allow her nerves to get the better of her.

“Yes.”

“So the girl is a doppelganger then?”

“Apparently.”

“I’ll be able to confirm it.” Caroline said. “This will be the third I’ve met and the second I’ll watch grow up.”

“Sheila will bring her to you once I’ve subdued Mikael.”

Caroline shook her head. “Let me handle this, Abby. He is too much for you to take on alone.”

“No. I stood in his way, Caroline. He is already coming for me but he knows nothing of you and he can’t. I need you to protect my mother and my daughter.”

It was true that protecting the Bennett line from Mikael was beyond the scope of their deal but Caroline knew that it wasn’t just because of her vow that she protected this family anymore, she had long ago become part of it. Still, if Mikael found out what she was and all she knew, then Caroline would never be safe again and she could not guarantee the safety of her sisters and daughters either. 

“Take as much magic from me as you can before he follows you. If you do, you’ll survive.”

Abby looked at Caroline. “Will I survive with my magic intact?”

Caroline shook her head. “Containing this monster will require everything you have, but I will always protect you as long as you are within my forest.”

Abby smiled sadly. “Protect my mother and Bonnie first. I can take care of myself.” With that she hugged Caroline and pulled into herself the strength of each of Caroline’s branches, the joy of each growing leaf, and the power of her roots diving into the soil. Caroline let her take as much as she could, and hoped that it would be enough. She loved each of her daughters and Abby was so very young for a witch, Caroline couldn’t bear it if she died now, or if she left her daughter behind to grow up alone. Her tears added no magical strength but Abby’s hug pulled them from Caroline anyway.

Caroline felt the vibrations of the ground indicating Mikael was near and walked towards the nearest tree, falling into it in exhaustion. She watched through a burl as Abby led the vampire hunter far from Mystic Falls, slipping from tree to tree until she couldn’t follow them any further. With great effort she dragged herself back to her home and to the two small children now sleeping peacefully beneath her tree.

“How did you leave my daughter?” Sheila asked her, recognizing the subtle shaking of the branches that signified Caroline’s return.

“Alive and as powerful as I can make her.” Caroline promised, stepping out of her home towards the girls. “It will take all of her strength but she _will_ survive.”

Sheila gave her a small smile. “No witch has ever made a better deal than my ancestor, Ayana, did with you.”

“It is my honor to protect your family while you remain in my forest.” Caroline replied honestly.

“Still. I’m afraid I must ask you to change our agreement.” Sheila began, before Caroline interrupted her.

“I offered to help Abby, Sheila. But she is beyond my power now.” Caroline hated the physical limits of her power, they were placed upon her as a way to protect her from the eyes of the world. Her forest was beautiful, a physical extension of herself, but it clashed with her very nature that she could go no further than she had roamed as a child when she planted her trees without fear. There was so much more out there, and she was trapped here. Many of the Bennetts, her daughters, had left Mystic Falls and it burned that she could not follow.

“Of course.” Sheila soothed. “But I believe that Bonnie’s life will require more careful attention than any Bennet’s since our original deal was made.”

“Because of the doppelganger.” Caroline supplied, taking a moment to look at the other girl. “She most certainly is the spitting image of Tatia and I imagine Katherine someday too.”

“Whether Bonnie was her friend or not, I could not leave the girl to her fate. As a witch I should let nature take its course and only protect my own, but I’ve heard your stories.” Sheila said softly, remembering the tragedies of the girls Caroline had just mentioned. “If you will leave your tree and live as a human, protecting Bonnie and Elena until Bonnie dies, the Bennett family will consider your vow fulfilled.”

It was certainly a lot to ask any dryad to leave their tree for a human lifetime. Once upon a time it was a question few would ask, because they knew the weight of such a request the pain of disconnecting for that long from one's true self, and yet it was the second time Caroline had heard it. The first time was a thousand years ago, when a young human she loved dearly asked her to marry him and come out of her tree to live in his home, but Caroline had lived so long already and watched so many humans die, she refused him unwilling to suffer the doubled pain of losing herself for a time and him eventually forever. That was the only time he asked for her to leave her tree, but a few months later, no longer human, he had asked again for her hand.

Nowadays who alive, other than the Bennetts, would believe in dryads let alone comprehend the importance of the question? Caroline was, as far as she knew, the last of her kind, a white oak dryad. Ayana had protected her and her mother from memory and recognition when Malivore was roaming the earth and devouring any supernaturals beyond the witches, werewolves, and vampires. She had not been able to protect Caroline’s mother from the Original family’s flames though, when her mother was too old to hide her tree any longer and the Mikaelsons, who had once been friendly with Caroline and her mother, had forgotten white oaks were living creatures and didn’t know they were killing someone they loved. 

All that Ayana had asked was that Caroline watch over her daughters, and treat them as her own as long as they were in her forest. Caroline could not leave her forest or the magic that kept her from the collective memory of the world would slip. Caroline had taken the deal readily as had her mother at the time, and it was nice to still have some that remembered her. She could wander around town as she liked, but only the Bennetts knew who she was and it would have been a lonely existence without them.

“Vow or not, Sheila, you are one of my daughters as are Bonnie and Abby. I will do anything for you that I can. Tell me what you need.”

It was clear Sheila had been planning since the moment she found out the truth about Elena Gilbert that afternoon. She detailed a plan for Caroline to revert back to a child.

“It will be easier to watch out for these two if you are always with them.”

“Am I to be Bonnie’s sister?” Caroline asked. She could be a true Bennett then, and she liked the thought.

“No. A friend of mine, one who knows something of supernatural matters, has always wanted a child. If I tell her that you were involved, your parents caught in the crossfire of magic gone wrong, and ask her to take you in, she will and without too many questions.”

“The good sheriff?”

“Exactly.”

“Very well. But I can’t be away from my tree all the time, if I’m to be strong enough to protect anyone. Bring the three of us girls here to play at least once a week and I will weave strength and protection around us.” 

As she finished speaking she shifted into a girl about three years old and went to wake her two new friends. Sheila introduced the girls to each other and though Bonnie seemed unsure of her new friend at first, and a little confused, Elena instantly pulled her into a hug and asked her if they could be best friends forever. 

“Of course, ‘Lena.” The ancient tree spirit said in her adorable new voice. “We’re going to be best friends.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caroline considers her new life and Elena and Bonnie's worlds change in different ways.

Over the next decade plus Caroline enjoyed her life as a human and sometimes wondered why she hadn’t tried it before, her weekly communion with the forest staved off the worst of the feelings of separation from her roots and sisters. Perhaps it was different, her connections with the Bennetts ran deep, a thousand years of ties to the human world, deeper than many of her connections to her younger trees, and adding Elena to her life felt natural.

Beyond her charges, Caroline also enjoyed life with other Mystic Falls Residents like her adoptive mother, who cared for her fiercely though not necessarily dutifully. If Caroline weren’t a powerful creature with several thousand years of knowledge she would probably be dead with how neglectful Elizabeth Forbes was on occasion. Her adoptive father, Bill Forbes, was an interesting man, he loved his daughter and watched her more than Liz did as a child, but he had not seemed to pick up on the little ways she was never quite as human as she appeared. Liz knew some and guessed more but kept the secret from her husband and never discussed it with her adoptive daughter either. When Bill Forbes left Caroline and Liz for another family it hurt, but Caroline was used to humans leaving her, bound as she was to a small area of land, and now it enabled her to spend whole weeks in her tree at a time under the guise of “visiting her father”. 

Her friendships with Elena and Bonnie were stronger than those she’d had with anyone since the Mikaelson family when she had been hardly more than a sapling and had stumbled upon their village. She had long thought of the Bennetts as her daughters, but she’d always looked after them only when they asked, or when she sensed their need. She’d never gone to their home on a Tuesday night to do math homework or baked cupcakes together for their school. Now she knew the ins and outs of their daily lives and she almost cried to think what she’d missed for so many generations, it seemed she’d developed a second set of roots unknowingly and had been neglecting her duties. Caroline wondered sometimes if she had said yes to her love the first time, a thousand years ago, what their life would have been like, perhaps she would have felt the same way then watching her nieces and nephews grow. She wondered whether she could have saved them all their heartache if she’d only been willing to accept her own.

Now she watched her friends grow as diligently as her forest and found an equal joy in their growth. She knew that one day they would need to be strong, that difficulties lay ahead, and not just enduring more inaccurate Earth Science classes.

“He actually said trees only live to be a few hundred years old as if Prometheus and Methuselah aren’t hanging out in the western US just waiting to turn five thousand.”

“Not everyone is as passionate about trees as you are, Caroline.” Bonnie reminded her friend. Whenever Caroline got too excited, weird things tended to happen, it reminded Bonnie of something that she could never quite put her finger on. Bonnie had decided a long time ago not to push Caroline or her grams whenever they became too heated, she didn’t really want to know what could happen.

“You two are coming to the party tonight, right?” Elena asked as they headed towards the cafeteria.

“Just to make sure the forest survives.” Caroline said under her breath. She hadn’t maintained and supported her sister trees for a thousand years to let them fall victim to a bonfire set by drunk teenagers with nothing better to do.

“Of course we are!” Bonnie replied. “But I don’t know if we’ll see you with Matt hanging all over you.”

Caroline liked Matt, he was a nice sweet human and she knew that Elena wouldn’t get too much of that in her life. Doppelgangers never had an easy life, and even with Caroline shielding her as much as possible, eventually the supernatural world would catch up with her and spoil everything. “That’s okay, we can just get ready together, can we all come over to yours, Elena?”

“No, my parents don’t want me going so I’m going to have to sneak out anyway. Let’s meet at yours. Plus I don’t know that I want to spend much time with Matt tonight, he’s been getting a bit clingy. I’m just not ready to talk about going to the same college, or any life plans beyond medical school.”  
_________________________________________________________________________

Caroline felt a shift in her forest as the girls got ready to head out, something supernatural was moving through and it wasn’t a full moon. She knew Bonnie and Elena wouldn’t listen to her warnings not to go to the party tonight, and they were all best protected surrounded by her sisters anyway. She shot a quick text to Sheila with her concerns and they headed out. 

Once there everything was normal until Elena and Matt got into a fight and Elena stormed off to call her parents. Caroline wanted to give her some space so she just leaned against a tree by the fire and let part of her mind drift over to her friend. Over the years Caroline’s forest had come to learn which humans she considered her own and they could find them for her in a second. 

Elena had made it to the road where her parents would pick her up, but she wasn’t alone. Caroline heard Damon Salvatore call Elena, “Katherine.” and she almost dove into the tree she was touching to get to her friend. Then Caroline noticed, as she closed her eyes and allowed the connection to deepen, that the man hadn’t done anything to Elena and instead seemed cautious in their conversation. Caroline knew Damon, he was a vampire, but not the one her forest had warned her about earlier that night. His interaction with Elena was brief, if a little intense, and though he compelled the encounter from her mind, he couldn’t know that Caroline had seen and heard it as well. She pulled her mind back into herself as Elena got into the car with her parents a few moments later and Caroline turned her attention back to Bonnie who was trying to tempt her into dancing with one of the guys from school.

Caroline got up and started to head over to the guy in question when her trees warned her again, insistently. She stepped back as if she’d only been adjusting herself and told Bonnie that she needed a moment to consider her options for a dance partner. As soon as her back touched the tree again she threw her mind towards the disturbance. Elena and her parents, in the water drowning in their car, the other vampire diving in to save her. Stefan. She should have known where one Salvatore was, the other would turn up sooner or later. 

Caroline cursed and grabbed Bonnie. She couldn’t use her powers around another supernatural creature, they could notice and wouldn’t just assume they’d imagined it like a human would. If only Stefan had saved Miranda or Grayson, Elena would have lived until Caroline got to her. Caroline couldn’t feed her power into Elena as easily as she could Bonnie, but she had tied Elena’s lifeforce to her own and she could keep her alive as long as Caroline was in her forest. 

“Where are we going, Care?” Bonnie asked. No one followed them away from the party, or gave much more than a look as they left. Once they were out of sight Caroline put on some speed.

“Elena needs us.” Caroline insisted, pulling her friend along. Touching a tree every now and then as if to help her balance, Caroline was able to see glimpses and know that the vampire had fled and the police had arrived. She knew her own adoptive mother would be there soon. It was likely too late to save the Gilberts now, and there were too many potential witnesses who would wonder at a car being lifted out of the water by roots and branches. Still, she didn’t slow, Elena needed her there one way or another and she wasn’t leaving Bonnie alone with two vampires in the woods. Bonnie and Elena didn’t know anything about the supernatural yet, but it looked like their ignorance and innocence might end tonight.

As they neared Wickery Bridge they saw the police lights and Elena sitting down with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Bonnie looked at Caroline for only a second with a lifted eyebrow before she raced out of the woods and into her friend's arms.

“Elena! What happened?”

Elena seemed out of it. “Care? Bonnie? How did you two get here?”

“We wandered away from the party and then saw the lights.” Caroline said quickly, cutting off any possible reply from Bonnie.

“That party I’m not supposed to know about?” Sheriff Forbes asked.

“That’s the one, Mom.” Caroline replied with a light tone before returning her attention to her friend. “Elena, what do you need?”

“I need my mom.” Elena sobbed. 

Caroline grabbed onto Elena and Bonnie and let some of her magic out to soothe all of them, it felt like sitting under their tree on a sunny afternoon watching the day fade away through the leaves. The magic was no more permanent than the afternoon sun but after a moment it had served its purpose and Elena looked exhausted. 

“Can you take us back to the Gilberts?” Caroline asked her adoptive mother. “I want to stay with Elena and Jeremy tonight if that’s okay.”

“I’ll ask Grams too.” Bonnie offered.

“One of my deputies can finish up here and I’ll get you girls home.” Sheriff Forbes replied. She touched her daughter on the arm for a moment, providing her own comfort, and then led them to the car. The Sheriff knew, as all law enforcement in Mystic Falls did, exactly where the party had been tonight, but it wasn’t time to call Caroline out on her lie. Her daughter was where she needed to be, with her friend, and Elizabeth Forbes knew better than to ask questions she didn’t want answers to in this town.

The ride back was quiet, and while Elena went to go tell Jeremy, Bonnie cornered Caroline.

“Are you psychic or something?”

“Do you really believe in all that, Bon?”

“No.” Bonnie said suspiciously. “I mean, Grams keeps trying to convince me I’m a witch but I’ve never done anything like drag a friend two miles through dark woods in the dead of night to find the victim of a car wreck.”

“If I were psychic, wouldn’t I have told everyone about the car accident and saved Elena’s parents?” Caroline asked.

Bonnie shrugged. “Probably. Just tell me what’s going on, Caroline. I wasn’t going to ask, even though I’ve always noticed things, but tonight was exceptionally weird, even for you.”

“Let’s talk about it later, at Grams. Elena needs us tonight.” Caroline set off for the kitchen and began to make a bunch of hot chocolate.  
_________________________________________________________________________

The next day as Elena and Jeremy’s Aunt Jenna came to stay with them, Caroline and Bonnie headed over to Bonnie’s Grams’ house. Grams had been expecting them and brought them into the backyard to sit. Caroline sat down with her back against a tree that she personally had planted there sixty years earlier. It had several natural sitting places between the roots that Caroline had personally groomed into it. Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena had often played there as kids but Bonnie had never noticed before just how perfectly at peace her friend seemed leaning against the trunk. 

“Hello Caroline.” Sheila greeted her.

“Hello Sheila.” Caroline replied as she closed her eyes, letting her mind wander into her forest taking a moment to get an account of anything she’d missed while watching over her friends in person. It seemed both vampires had fled for now but she knew it was only the beginning.

“It’s time then?” Sheila asked with a sigh. “I always knew this would happen. Who found her?”

“That’s the funny thing, Sheila. The Salvatore brothers. They didn’t even know about Doppelgangers before last night.”

“Which means they’re going to go asking stupid questions and get her found.” Sheila shook her head.

“What is going on?” Bonnie demanded. “Caroline you promised to explain everything once we got here but I didn’t think you meant that Grams was in on whatever is going on. Also, why do you keep calling Grams ‘Sheila’?”

“What else would my former babysitter and oldest friend call me?” Sheila replied. “Sit down, Bonnie. It’s time you relearned something important.” She took a deep breath and looked at her granddaughter, trying to convey the seriousness of the moment. “Caroline. She’s a dryad, just like you’re a witch. I know you don’t believe me-”

“Didn’t believe you.” Bonnie interrupted.

“ _Didn’t_ believe me.” Sheila corrected, shooting a look at Caroline who had opened her eyes again and shrugged as if to say ‘what can you do?’. Caroline had been unsurprised to learn from Bonnie that she hadn’t been passing perfectly as human, witches were perceptive and Caroline could get a teensy bit passionate complete with swaying trees mirroring her gestures as she ranted. “Caroline has been watching over our family for a thousand years. We brought you to her as an infant to claim her protection, and then at the age of three when your path, and Elena’s, became clear I asked her to live among us to watch you better.”

“She didn’t watch Elena well enough.” Bonnie grumbled. It had shaken her to her core to come across the car wreck the night before. Seeing Elena soaking wet, wrapped in a blanket, and knowing it was a miracle she had survived when both her parents drowned. Knowing Caroline was “protecting” Elena didn’t change the way her world had changed just seeing her friend that close to death. They were teenagers, they were supposed to be fearless, immortal!

“I’m sorry.” Caroline reached out for Bonnie’s hand but Bonnie stepped back. “Of course I was watching Elena, but I can’t use my magic around too many people. Elena wouldn’t have drowned in that car either way, she has some of my magic in her, just like you do.”

“She has your magic in her.” Bonnie repeated slowly to herself. “What does that mean?” She looked down at her hands as if trying to see something there, perhaps tangible proof of Caroline’s magic or an absence that made it clear she was lying.

“I have some of her magic in me too.” Sheila said and reached her own hands out to hold Caroline’s. “You and I were born with it and Caroline takes care to nurture the natural magic we hold in addition to the ancestral. Her power is what makes the Bennett bloodline one of the most powerful in the world. She gifted Elena her magic though when you were children, because Elena will live a troubled life.”

“What, a curse killed her parents?” Bonnie rolled her eyes. 

“No. She’s a doppelganger.”

“Like a twin?”

“Like a magic twin.” Caroline clarified. “It’s something witches and other supernatural creatures wait lifetimes to find. The last Petrova doppelganger was born five hundred years ago. Elena’s blood is like a supercharged battery that could power any spell. There are a lot of people who would take her and use her if we don’t protect her. I’ve seen the lives of two other doppelgangers, neither was happy.”

Bonnie finally sat down, closer to Grams than Caroline. Caroline’s lies felt more of a betrayal, after all Grams had been telling her the truth all these years, apparently. “Our paths became clear at the age of three you said, right? That’s when Mom left. Is that why Mom left?”

Caroline looked at Sheila, and Sheila started explaining. “Your mother found a man, or a vampire rather, watching you and Elena play one day in the yard. My Abby had sensed something was strange about Elena but until this vampire came to grab her, she didn’t know what was so special about your friend. She used a spell to knock him down for a second and called me into the yard. She cast another spell so that you and Elena switched appearances and she ran with you, as Elena, in her arms towards Caroline’s tree. She laid you down asleep, cancelled the appearance spell and fled. Caroline caught up with her just before she left town and gave your mother as much magic as she could to help her beat the vampire, Mikael.”

Sheila gestured for Caroline to continue from there. “I told your mother I would help her fight Mikael but she was worried he would take us both down and she wanted me here to protect you and Sheila, your Grams. I told your Mother the magic I gave her would sustain her, but incapacitating Mikael would use up all the magic your ancestors had given her. She drove away and I watched as far as I could through my forest, but I haven’t seen her or heard from her since that day. It can be tough for a witch to lose her magic, it makes her lose a part of herself.” Caroline understood, and she was impressed with Abby for facing Mikael with the knowledge that it would tear her magic from her. She still felt it was somewhat selfish to not return after, having been on the receiving end of losing her mother too young. 

“How do you know she isn’t just dead?” Bonnie asked. It was a thought she’d had often over the years, one that her grams had never been able to fully quiet.

“Although she is no longer in my forest, I would have felt if she died.” Caroline felt the deaths of each Bennett that had left her woods, no matter how long ago they stopped visiting her.

“Can you find her the way you found Elena?”

“No. I am tied to my forest, which more or less coincides with the borders of Mystic Falls. That was part of the agreement I made with your ancestor, Ayana, when she protected me from a monster a thousand years ago. If I leave Mystic Falls, the world could remember the existence of Dryads, of me, and the monster would return for me. In exchange for hiding and protecting me, I protect all Bennetts who live in my forest.”

“Normally you would have known Caroline as a dryad your whole life, but I asked Caroline to protect you more directly than she has done for other members of our family. I asked her to live as a human for your lifetime.” Sheila told Bonnie. “I also decided not to teach you any witchcraft until your mother returned, but I have waited too long and now danger is coming for Elena again, and therefore for you my compassionate granddaughter. This summer, we will begin.”

Bonnie curled in on herself slightly and Caroline reached over to her, this time Bonnie didn’t pull away. Caroline repeated her actions from the night before and calmed her friend. 

“You did that last night too.” Bonnie noted, remembering.

“I did. I wanted to give you and Elena any comfort I could. I know that you have both had a lot of change in your life in the last day.”

“We should go tell Elena, all of this, right now.” Bonnie insisted.

Caroline shook her head. “It’s almost the end of the school year, Bonnie. Elena will need time to heal and you need time to learn your heritage. Miranda and Grayson’s deaths were not supernatural and Elena needs time to mourn for them before she learns what else the world has planned for her. I will watch you both and when the vampires return for Elena, we will tell her. Let’s hope the Salvatore brothers wait awhile before their curiosity gets the better of us.”  
_________________________________________________________________________

Elena didn’t return to school for the rest of the spring and though Caroline and Bonnie often stopped by to see her, she didn’t have much to say. At school Bonnie avoided Caroline where she could and finally Caroline called her on it.

“Bonnie, I’m sorry that you feel hurt by my secrets. Your Grams and I could have done this differently but we didn’t want you to have to lie to Elena for however many years. I will tell the school I am leaving early for the summer and go back into the forest to wait and watch. Come with me after cheer practice and I’ll take you to my tree.”

After school, Bonnie reluctantly followed Caroline into the woods. They stopped at a picturesque clearing that Bonnie recognized, the three girls came here every week growing up. It annoyed Bonnie how much sense it all made. When Caroline approached one tree in particular, a gorgeous old oak, she encouraged Bonnie to touch the trunk. 

“If you need me before the end of summer, come here and touch my tree. If you are injured or need strength or a hug.” Caroline looked at Bonnie and then quickly back to her tree, she wished her friend wanted a hug as much as she did now but she wouldn’t impose. “Just come here. You can summon me from another tree once Sheila teaches you how, but I will always come here if I feel your touch.”

Bonnie looked uncomfortable around her former best friend but nodded.

“One more thing. When we tell Elena about everything, my tree stays a secret.” Caroline warned. “Dryads do not live if their tree dies and they do not tell others about their tree unless they trust them absolutely. It is part of my deal with your family that you know the location of my tree, but it is my choice who else to tell.” With that, Caroline touched her tree, closed her eyes, and fell into it.

Bonnie stared after her for a moment. She’d started to half believe in Grams’ stories a few years ago and she’d always noticed things about Caroline that didn’t make sense. Still, she’d never seen anyone fall into a tree and part of her wanted to check the other side to see if Caroline had fallen clean through, but Bonnie didn’t know if Caroline was watching so instead she rushed to her Grams’ house to insist her first magic lesson begin that day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caroline and Bonnie make up, and Elena learns about the Supernatural.

School would begin in a week, the start of their junior year. Bonnie had gone through an intensive course of summer witch camp, and now felt much more prepared for what was to come which was apparently ANYTHING, as long as it was bad. She also felt ready to approach Caroline again. The dryad had only protected Bonnie and those she loved in the manner she was asked to, her deceit was minimal. It might still take Bonnie awhile to get used to the fact that her second oldest friend was really two thousand years old and her fervent passion for dendrology was based on a lifetime spent living as a tree that protected and managed a forest, but it was past time the two girls made up and had a hug.

Approaching Caroline’s tree, Bonnie realized that the oak somehow _felt_ like Caroline now that she knew what to look for. The way the rays of sun framed it, the way it supported so much life, and the detail in the shape of every branch all screamed Caroline Forbes, or Caroline Oak . . . or whatever her dryad name was. Bonnie walked the last few steps up to the tree slowly and put her hand on one of the lower branches.

“You called?” Caroline’s voice rang in Bonnie’s head. Bonnie lept back. Did that tree just talk?

“Where are you?” Bonnie called out, heading towards where she imagined the voice was. As she walked around the tree she wasn’t watching in front of her, instead she looked the tree up and down and she bumped right into Caroline.

“Right here!” Caroline replied happily. “Sorry, sometimes when I’m just waking up I forget to use my outside voice.” She laughed at her own joke.

“You can talk telepathically?” Bonnie asked. Grams had covered only ancestral magic for the most part, telling her granddaughter that Caroline preferred to teach each new witch nature magic on her own.

“As long as you’re touching one of my trees.” Caroline told her. “It’s easiest with my tree but if you head over to that one over there we could still do it.” Caroline pointed at a tree which began to wave at them, it was far enough away that her normal human voice wouldn’t carry without shouting.

Bonnie followed the woody spirit hands and moved across the clearing to place her hand flat on the bark and faced away from her friend. 

“Cool, isn’t it?” She heard in her head again. 

“Can I do it too?” Bonnie thought, trying to will her words across to Caroline. It didn’t seem to work so she shouted them.

Caroline appeared beside her a moment later. “Yes, in theory you can. Your ancestors never needed me quite so on demand so they just came to my tree for help with tricky spells or to heal someone. It might be good for us to have a secret way to communicate, though.”

“How do we do it?” Bonnie asked.

“Well, you and I are connected, at our roots. Every time you, Elena, and I, gathered at this clearing I bound us tighter together, like grafting a new branch into my tree. I’ve connected us in a thousand ways! Anytime we shared something in common, a desire for world peace, a movie we liked or hated, our taste in alcohol or clothes, I brought it together to tie us closer. Think of all the ways we are sisters and reach for me in your mind as an extension of yourself.”

Bonnie decided to try to forget for a moment that Caroline was a dryad and instead to remember before everything had changed, like immediately beforehand, when all three girls were gathered at Caroline’s house to get ready for the party. Elena had shown up at five, slipping out of her house when her mom went to pick up Jeremy from AV Club and before her father got home from his practice. Bonnie was just pulling the pizza out of the freezer and Caroline was pouring shots when she walked in. It was a moment that had happened dozens of times, Bonnie had known exactly where everything was in the kitchen, she even knew that the pizza was the last pepperoni one in the freezer. Elena had managed to smuggle over some alcohol because she knew Caroline had a hard time keeping any hidden from her mom for more than a few weeks. All three knew each other so well and they all moved together to get ready in sync.

“Is your mom a dryad too?” Bonnie whispered in her head as she held the memory in place. After she spoke, she felt the connection again in her mind, it filled quickly with a pain like an old wound, deep and sad.

“No.” Caroline replied in the same way, knowing Bonnie meant the sheriff. “But Elizabeth Forbes is a lovely woman, a good second mother although she doesn’t truly know me.”

“She doesn’t know?” Bonnie asked. “Why did she adopt you?”

“Sheila. She knew the sheriff wanted a child and it is best if the rest of the world doesn’t know about the deeper connections I have to your family. I did suggest I be raised as your sister.”

Bonnie laughed. “I think I’m happy as an only child.”

Caroline sighed. “Well, you haven’t really been one in years. Elena and I are your sisters, as truly as all of these trees are my sisters. We are bound together, though we live apart.”

Bonnie nodded. “I suppose that’s true. And as sisters, shouldn’t we tell Elena about her supernatural identity?”

“I had hoped she’d live to a much older age before either of you would have to find out. I knew it would be impossible for her life to be peaceful forever.”

“You and Grams mentioned that Elena is a supernatural battery, but none of the spells I’ve learned need anything like that.”

“Sheila wouldn’t teach you anything like that.” Caroline agreed. “Because those kinds of spells require blood and they alter the balance of magic, of life and death.”

Bonnie sat down, her back against the tree they’d been using for practice. “Great. Elena’s blood is magic and using it has dire consequences.”

“Indeed.” Caroline replied. “The first time I saw it used, it created a new species! Tatia bled and vampires were born.”

“Could her blood be used to kill them all too?” Bonnie asked. Maybe a solution to their problems would be as easy as pricking Elena with a pin before homeroom.

“Perhaps. But I wouldn’t recommend it.” 

“Why not? Vampires are creatures of death and destruction!” The Bennett family journals, required reading for witchy summer camp, had been quite clear on this. Bonnie herself had felt a deep loathing for vampires as soon as she understood they were real.

“One of whom saved Elena from drowning.” Caroline reminded her. Personally Stefan saving Elena was nothing in the grand scheme of justifying the existence of vampires, but it was likely to be more convincing to Bonnie than a description of Caroline’s own lost love and an impassioned plea that no one deserved to be punished for the sins of their parents. 

“Because she looked like someone else!” Bonnie countered. She’d grilled Grams on every detail she knew about doppelgangers that summer. Which included a super weird brotherly love triangle, because apparently Elena’s doppelganger was messed up.

“He couldn’t have known that before he went into the water and besides, while I can’t vouch for everything he’s ever done I do know that Stefan Salvatore was once a good man and that his family in Mystic Falls know him as such. He has come and gone for nearly a hundred and fifty years in peace. His brother however, I might put in the ground.”

“How many vampires have been in Mystic Falls?” Bonnie asked. “Because you said you’d seen the first vampires and you can’t leave town.”

“Well, the first vampires came before the spell that traps and protects me. But, it was still here that vampires were born.”

“So, is Mystic Falls a hellmouth?” 

“Maybe showing you Buffy was a bad idea.” Caroline admitted. She’d been not so subtly prepping Elena and Bonnie for the day their lives would change for awhile now via pop culture. They were more like the Halliwell sisters anyway. “There is no such thing as a hellmouth BUT Mystic Falls does tend to be a supernatural hot spot. Werewolves have lived here for over a thousand years.”

“Right. The Lockwoods. Gram mentioned that. Tyler Lockwood always was too aggressive.”

“He actually hasn’t triggered his curse yet.” 

“Huh. So he’s only going to get worse?”

“He’ll probably get better, except before the full moon. It’s quite something to watch a wolf run through my trees under a bright moon, I can feel some of the freedom and joy spilling off of them and my branches dance to their howls. I used to run with them too, when they knew me. We played for hours.”

“Werewolves, witches, and vampires. We’re all the ones who cursed you, aren’t we? We created Malivore to destroy everything supernatural that wasn’t us. We made the world forget you.” Bonnie said softly. “Don’t you hate us all?”

“The Bennetts? I could never.” Caroline said, putting a gentle hand on Bonnie’s arm and giving her a bright smile. “But Esther Mikaelson? The witch who used her children to enact this spell? If I saw her again I’d ask some poison ivy to strangle her. Maybe have some roses grow thorns under her nails. It’s a pity the best poisonous plants don’t grow in Virginia.”

Bonnie laughed. “I always thought your threats at school were creative, but you really could have grown a tree under Matt so fast he’d be higher than a kite before he’d eat another of your cookies, couldn’t you?”

“I was hard pressed several times not to. And to not have our science teacher lose his gas guzzling car to a freak root in the road. Seriously, he showed us an inconvenient truth and then happily drove home in a hummer!”

Bonnie could see Caroline more fully now, she was both the supernatural creature who was bound to protect her family and the friend who had always stood her ground and tended her friendships like gardens. The kind of healthy gardens that had a fence to keep out unwanted critters.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t talk like this before.” Caroline told her, seeing Bonnie become pensive.

“I get it now, I do. Grams always thought my mom would come back for me, for us, and she didn’t want to take any decisions away from her. She also wanted me to be a kid, because someday my life was going to be rough.”

“And because you tell Elena every secret you learn within the first five minutes.”

“Not this time!”

“Because _I_ said she should have time to grieve.”

“But I listened, I could have just told her.” 

“That’s true, and I think it’s good that you didn’t. She and Jeremy needed time.”

“Can we tell her now?” Bonnie asked.

“Okay. I’ll send her a text saying I’m back from my dad’s and that we should all meet at the grill.”

“You want to change her life over a burger?”

“No, I want a nice relaxing burger together before I change her life. We’ll tell her at Grams.”  
__________________________________________________________________________

Elena agreed to come out after a bit of coaxing. Caroline worked multiple angles and had even texted Jenna to make sure Elena actually came. She also insisted that Bonnie keep her mouth shut about anything witchy until they got back to Grams. 

“I promise, I won’t give anything away.”

“Maybe it’s best if you just let me do all the talking.”

“Doesn’t sound any different than usual.” Came Elena’s voice behind them. “What do you two have planned?” Bonnie and Caroline could tell she was aiming for playfulness, and they decided to keep the mood up as best they could for now.

“We have a surprise for you back at Grams.” Bonnie told her.

Caroline gave her a look and Bonnie rolled her eyes. “How is that more than I should have said?”

“Just give the girl a hug.” Caroline ordered, pulling Elena in for a hug herself as she said it.

“I missed you.” She whispered, giving her friend a squeeze. Caroline had been watching over Elena and Bonnie all summer but it wasn’t the same as going swimming in the river with them, or going out for ice cream and having sleepovers. Elena just wasn’t the same either, and Caroline wouldn’t have expected her to be after losing her parents. Watching Elena mourn from a distance had sucked, there was only so much Caroline could do from inside her forest, she’d provided shade and made sure Elena always had somewhere soft to sit while writing in her diary. But for months now, Caroline had been dying to give her friend a hug.

“Missed you too.” Elena admitted, then she went back to her false light tone. “I thought you weren’t going to be home until the day before school started.”

“I got bored.” Caroline told her, equally fake. 

“And I told her that she had to come back.” Bonnie added. 

“I’d do anything for you two!” Caroline said, shifting to a real smile and Bonnie smiled a little too, knowing the truth of her statement.

“Like share an appetizer for once?” Elena teased.

“No.” Caroline replied. “I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that. A growing girl needs her nutrients.”

“And a blooming onion is good for your roots?” Bonnie joked.

“Blooming onion. Blooming flowers. Flowers have roots. I’m a beautiful flower with lovely natural roots.” Caroline gestured to her blond hair. “So yes, the blooming onion is just for me.”

“Fine, I should have known all this love wouldn’t get me any of your food.” Elena said, smiling in a way she hadn’t in months. “After lunch you can take me to see whatever my surprise is and then I really should get home, I don’t think Jeremy has done any of his summer work and I am not going to let him flunk out in September.”

Bonnie didn’t comment, after Elena found out what was going on, Jeremy failing his classes was going to become a lot less of a priority. Caroline grabbed her hand under the table and gave it a quick squeeze to reassure her. 

“That’s fine, we have all week to hang out before I need to become a drill sergeant and whip you into shape for cheerleading.”

Elena looked like she was about to say something and then thought better of it. “Sounds good, Care.”  
____________________________________________________________________________

All three girls were sitting in the backyard again, as if it were any other summer day, under what Bonnie thought of as Caroline’s tree away from home and enjoying some cold lemonade made by Grams who sat just inside pretending to read a book. Caroline tasted some soothing herbs mixed in meant to calm the mind and she smiled to herself. Sheila couldn’t stop herself from trying to help, despite what she always said about how witches should only look after their own. She’d yet to meet a Bennett who didn’t try to help everyone they met, as long as they weren’t a vampire.

“Elena, we have something to tell you.” Bonnie started and then looked over to Caroline. Caroline raised an eyebrow and gestured for Bonnie to keep going. “Helpful.” Bonnie huffed. “You know how Grams was telling me last year that I’m a witch and all the Bennets are witches and stuff?”

Elena smiled. “Yeah, you pretended to be psychic and we scared the crap out of Matt and Jeremy.”

“Riiiight. Well, I actually am a witch.”

Elena forced a laugh. “Is this the surprise? Are you going to predict my every thought? I’m not a straight teenage boy so not many of them are going to be about the hot new french teacher.”

“I’m not a psychic.” Bonnie said. “I’m a witch.”

“Caroline, why are you in on this?” Elena asked. “Are you two trying to cheer me up? Because honestly, I’d rather do a movie night.”

Caroline grabbed a handful of leaves off the ground and placed them in front of Elena. “Bonnie, you must know the spell for levitation by now.” She knew that Bonnie did, she’d watched her do it a dozen times and thought it would be an easy way to convince Elena gently of the truth.

Bonnie concentrated and sent the leaves soaring upwards, a few floated back down and landed around them. Elena looked between Bonnie and the leaves, picking one up that had fallen in her lap. After a minute of looking at it she put it flat on her palm. 

“Do it again.”

Bonnie looked at the one leaf and after a moment she lifted it straight up, just a foot or so and it lowered back into Elena’s waiting hand. 

“Huh. Okay. That is quite the surprise.” Elena just kept looking at the leaf, talking, but it hadn’t quite sunk in yet. “Wait. Is that why you asked Caroline to come home? I’m sorry if you thought I wouldn’t be there for you Bon, I know I’ve been really out of it.”

Caroline interrupted before Elena could start guilt spiralling. “Uh no. Bonnie didn’t call me home, Elena. I actually never left.”

“What? You didn’t go to your dad’s this summer?”

“I’ve never gone to my dad’s.” Caroline told her. “I’ve haven’t left Mystic Falls in a thousand years.”

Elena laughed at Caroline’s dramatics. “Of course you have. We’ve gone on field trips and you went to Disney World with your Dad and every break you’re gone for a few weeks.”

“Nope. I was conveniently sick for every out of town field trip.” Caroline stood up and put her hand on the tree behind her. “Usually, when you think I’m gone, I do this.” She then stepped sideways, into the tree and disappeared. Elena, who hadn’t been given any warning, did run around the tree and ran her hands all over it, the way Bonnie had once wanted to.

“Caroline! Caroline! Where are you? This isn’t funny.”

Bonnie grabbed her and then put her hand on the tree and thought at Caroline while she spoke out loud. “Stop making her nervous and come back.” 

Caroline popped out of another tree on the other side of Gram’s yard. “You’re getting better at that Bonnie.”

Elena ran over to Caroline and slapped her arm. “That wasn’t funny. Don’t just disappear on me, I can’t take that right now.”

“I’m sorry.” Caroline apologized. “It’s just you didn’t really believe Bonnie until she did the spell, I thought there was no way you’d accept I was a dryad-”

“A what?”

“Remember from Greek Mythology in 6th grade? A tree spirit.” Bonnie told her.

“So Bonnie is a witch, you’re a tree spirit, what am I? Magical chopped liver?”

“More like the holy grail?” Caroline offered. “You’re a doppelganger.”

“A twin? I am not, and those aren’t even magical.”

“So you know doppelganger but not dryad.” Caroline grumbled.

“Because doppelgangers are real!” Elena argued.

“I walked into a tree, Elena. Dryads are real. That’s like my coolest visual trick, I’ve waited so long for this reveal and then you don’t even believe me.” 

“She’s a dryad.” Bonnie said firmly, cutting Caroline off before she could really get going. “And you are a doppelganger. That’s what we needed to tell you today. I wanted to tell you before but . . .”

“But you had other things going on.” Caroline insisted, unwilling to let Bonnie throw her under the bus when she was in the right. “We have to tell you now because someone else found out about you, and it’s going to cause a world of problems when the larger supernatural society knows you exist.”

“Why? Because I might have a twin and we can pull wacky capers and make some direct to vhs movies?”

“How dare you say that about Mary Kate and Ashley!” 

“Caroline, please tell her the important part.” Bonnie was getting impatient. “Tell her that people will want to kill her and use her blood to unleash evil on the world.”

“What?!”

Caroline gave Bonnie a look which Bonnie returned, full force. “Doppelgangers are rare Elena. Almost as rare as me, but we can get into that later. I know you are a doppelganger because I’ve been alive well over a thousand years and I’ve seen your face before, twice. Your exact face, everything about you, the same. Not that you want to meet her but you have a vampire twin out there copying your look right now. Her name is Katherine, and she’s had a shit life on the run from people who wanted her blood for their magic, but she doesn’t have Bonnie and I.”

“And Grams.” Bonnie added. “We’ll all keep you safe.”

“From the whole supernatural world. Which apparently exists, as do vampires and witches and dryads.”

“I think I’m more one of a kind now.” Caroline joked. “But yes, vampires, witches, and werewolves are all real.”

“And Santa?” Elena asked, joking but maybe just a bit hopeful that not everything sucked.

“Not that I know of. It’s really just the big three with a few exceptions. Like you, and me. But we need to keep all of that as much of a secret as we can. For now, what you need to know is that there are people out there who would definitely kill you because of your face, and some idiots just found out that you exist. A pair of brothers, vampires, both of whom were in love with your doppelganger, Katherine. They saw you a few months ago and they’re going to come back.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I can feel one of them now, he’s on the outskirts of town. Stefan Salvatore. He and his brother Damon met you on the night your parents died.” Caroline had been happy when Bonnie made contact with her earlier that day, she really wanted Bonnie to come to her but if Stefan had actually stepped into town, she would have been gathering her girls anyway.

“I don’t remember meeting anyone new that night.” Elena said.

“No. Damon met you first but made you forget, a handy vampire power, and Stefan pulled you out of the car a few minutes later when you were trapped underwater. He was in and out in a few seconds, I don’t think you’d remember even normally.”

“He saved me?” Elena asked. “Did someone cause the crash?”

Caroline sighed. “No, not as far as I can tell. I saw the car go off the bridge and it just happened that Stefan was there. He saved your life.”

“And now he’s here in town?” Elena asked.

“Yes. Probably to figure out why you look like Katherine, his vampire lover.”

“So what do we do? Who are they going to tell? Am I really in danger?” 

“I don’t know yet. Maybe they’d tell Katherine herself. If she found out you were here she’d offer you up on a silver platter to save her own skin. Not that I blame her. I’d be in a similar situation myself if not for Bonnie’s family. My life is only as good as my secret. I will protect you, Elena, but you can never tell anyone what I am.”

“How are you going to protect me?” Elena asked.

“Handy thing about being a dryad.” Caroline said as she held out her palm and formed a small branch from thin air. “You always have a stake on hand for any vampires you might meet around town.”

Elena actually did still prioritize Jeremy’s grades over her own life and left Grams’ after the girls had talked more and Elena had made Bonnie levitate leaves a few more times. She claimed it was the best part of the surprise, which was fair because everything else had kind of been doom and gloom. Caroline told Elena to walk home with a tree always in sight. 

“I can find you anywhere in Mystic Falls as long as you stay near a tree. I want to find out what those Salvatores know and who they may have told before we do anything else.”

After Elena left, Bonnie asked Caroline who exactly she was afraid would come after their friend. 

“It could be anyone, Bon. But my biggest fear, the person that Katherine would turn her over to . . . his name is Klaus Mikaelson.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this a little early because I'm supposed to travel for work the next week or two. Hopefully this is enough to keep you hooked for now!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for everyone to meet Stefan!

Stefan didn’t make an appearance until the first day of classes about a week later, when Elena quite literally ran into him coming out of the bathroom. She knew it was him because Mystic Falls was a small town and he was so clearly new, and because Caroline had been her usual organized self and had prepared a lecture on all things doppelganger after their talk at Grams’. 

“Do vampires usually attend high school?” Elena texted Caroline and Bonnie before heading into her history class, with Stefan only a bit behind. She rubbed at the vervain bracelet that Caroline had given her just the day before. How would she know when a vampire was trying to compel her? Stefan’s eyes had done _something_ to her, but she didn’t think it had anything to do with compulsion.

“Just the stalker ones.” Bonnie sent back, eyeing Stefan up and down, attempting to assess him as a threat. It was difficult because he was the first vampire she’d ever seen and she really didn’t get any vibes off of him except that he was trouble and most of that came from his brooding face. If she concentrated she could feel something a bit off, like a cross between what Caroline felt like and the strength that radiated off her Grams at times. “He’s staring at you.”

Everyone stashed their phones when their teacher started class but no one’s eyes were off of Stefan for long, and it wasn’t just Elena, Caroline and Bonnie either. A new student at Mystic Falls was pretty noteworthy, especially a cute one. Although Stefan shadowed Elena all day, ending up in her English and French classes too, she was able to slip away when the final bell rang because a crowd of admirers went up to talk to the new guy. 

Caroline had texted Elena during lunch that they would be meeting back at Grams’ to make a game plan, but Elena wasn’t quite ready for the level of intensity she knew Bonnie and Caroline would achieve when they started protection planning so she stopped in a cemetery on her way. It was something she’d taken to doing over the summer, hanging out somewhere she could think about her parents and be left alone. 

Elena had just sat down by a tombstone to take a moment to write, when she shivered and looked up, immediately she was creeped out by a person watching in the distance. Maybe she should have asked one of her friends to come with her. They’d just told her she was a giant supernatural target and the first thing she did was wander in a graveyard _alone_. Elena could practically hear Caroline lecturing in her head so she put her diary away and tried to calmly and quickly head towards the exit. The creeper didn’t move but Elena felt their eyes on her and she sped up, starting to run while keeping an eye on the shadowy form. She tripped and lost sight of the man as she plummeted but a hand caught her before she fell on her face. A hand with some very well manicured nails. Damn.

“Seriously, Elena?” Caroline asked. “You would die first in a horror movie.”

Before Elena had a chance to point out that she felt like she was in a horror movie, and clearly Stefan and Damon had died first, Stefan appeared in front of them rather suddenly.

“Are you okay?”

“Was that you?” Elena asked. “Lurking in the shadows?”

“No, I just saw you trip.” Stefan told her. 

“We’re good.” Caroline told him, looking ready to drag Elena away. “Thanks though.”

“What are you doing here then?” Elena demanded. 

“I have family here.” Stefan told her. 

Elena softened and shook her head, embarrassed. “Shit. Sorry. Of course, why else would you be visiting a cemetery? I just . . . there was this guy in there and I didn’t expect anyone else to be here.”

“It’s okay.” Stefan assured her. “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

Caroline felt like Stefan didn’t even know she was there. 

“Nice ring.” Elena told him. Caroline sighed, maybe Elena didn’t either, apparently she wasn’t getting thanked for the rescue.

“Thanks. It’s a family thing, I’m kind of stuck with it. It’s weird, huh?”

“No, it’s just, there’s rings and then there’s that.” Elena replied. “Anyway thanks for checking on me, but Caroline caught me, she’s always got an eye on me.”

“Yeah, can’t let this one wander off alone. _She heads straight for the cemetery!_ ” Caroline checked herself, she had promised Bonnie when she vanished on their walk home that they would yell at Elena together.

“Nice to meet you two. I’m Stefan.”

“We know. You were in History with us.” Elena got out before Caroline did actually drag her away. Elena and Stefan waved and made overly emotional eye contact for two people who’d just had their second terrible meet cute in one day.

Once they were a safe distance away Caroline let go of Elena and gave her a look. Then another, and another every few steps.

“You can start reprimanding me whenever you like.” Elena offered, tired of the glares.

“I promised Bonnie I’d wait.”

“Were you two texting? You followed me from school didn’t you? I just needed a minute alone.”

“Yeah, and we gave you a minute alone. Bonnie and I were walking to Grams’ and my roots warned me that you’d attracted vampiric attention. By the time I looked around and got to you, there were two of them!”

“Two of them? Oh, was that creeper in the distance Damon?”

“Yes, and the look he was giving you was super intense.” Caroline’s eyes widened and she attempted to throw a smouldering look at Elena.

“Not sure why Katherine had such a hard time picking.” Elena joked. “Stefan’s the nice one, if a bit broody, Damon’s clearly a weirdo.”

“He’s easy enough on the eyes.” Caroline shrugged. “But you aren’t doing the vampire love story, we already went over that. I don’t want to have to invade your bedroom to keep you from being ritually sacrificed among your stuffed animals, only to find my trees were warning me when you and Vlad were just up to something kinky!”

“What was that about saving the lecture for Bonnie?” Elena asked.

“That’s a different lecture.” Caroline corrected her. “That’s the don’t-go-wandering-in-the-cemetery-alone-Elena lecture. This is the don’t-date-vampires lecture. You’d rather Bonnie miss this one, trust me, she’s less understanding than I am on this subject.”

“Oh. You’ve found yourself a nice vamp before then?” Elena raised her eyebrows suggestively and watched Caroline’s reaction. “Do you have firsthand experience with your own dirty Drak?”

Caroline blushed. “No.” Klaus had been kinky enough as a human, but they never had a chance to do anything once he turned, before he forgot her. She looked away, and Elena graciously dropped it for the moment.

“I guess we can focus on keeping me alive and not try to play ‘Pick a Salvatore.’” Elena said eventually, to fill the growing silence.

“Good choice. They’re kind of on the low end of vamp attractiveness anyway.” Caroline added, then she switched gears before Elena could get inquisitive again. “We’re almost at Grams’. Let’s just get inside so Bonnie and I can do our anxious parents routine.”

Bonnie was sat waiting in a chair by the front door and Elena doubled over in laughter when she walked in, it really did look just like when her parents had waited up for her after a night out. She switched from laughing to crying, remembering that her parents would never do that again. Bonnie stood up and hugged her and then stepped back. 

“The waterworks aren’t to get out of trouble are they? Because that doesn’t work on me.”

“It does too.” Caroline replied, very familiar with the caring hearts of Bennetts, and their susceptibility to a few tears. “But give Elena a minute. She was just busy attracting the attention of two vampires.”

Bonnie gasped. “Two? You said it was just Damon!”

“It was.” Caroline held her hands up in defense. “But Elena decided to flee one predator and trip in front of another. If I hadn’t caught you, you’d probably have torn up your hands on a rock and ended up as a brother buffet.”

“Doesn’t sound too bad.” Elena laughed.

“Vampires are evil, Elena!” Bonnie started and Caroline just gave Elena the world’s most practiced ‘I told you so’ look. “No sex jokes!”

“Fine.”

“And no more wandering alone.”

“I was in the woods.” Elena protested.

“Yes, except then you were suddenly surrounded by vampires and I had to make sure neither of them were particularly paying attention so I could sneak in and rescue you. Thankfully you and those Salvatores would miss a dragon waltzing past, as long as you could make pouty faces back and forth.”

Elena blushed. “Oh. Well, at least I noticed his daylight ring.”

Caroline reconsidered Elena and Stefan’s conversation. “When did you learn about those?”

“I asked Bonnie about the whole sunlight thing and she mentioned that vampires use rings to walk in the sun.”

Caroline had known that, but her method of vampire removal was typically a hand to the heart, so she wasn’t looking for other weaknesses. 

“Okay. That is good, I’m glad you had some awareness. I don’t think he’d have let you take it from him though.”

“But you could, or Bonnie could, if you needed to.”

“Do we need to?” Bonnie asked, ready to go slay some Salvatores.

“No. Not yet. We need to know what those two know, and who else they may have asked about Elena.” Caroline said. “Which brings us to . . . drum roll please . . . the plan.” Bonnie and Elena were silent and Caroline sighed, her plans were good, they deserved a drum roll. “The plan is Elena meets Stefan at controlled, populated locations with at least one of us present, and we snoop.”

“How?”

“Talk to him, maybe take his phone. I sneak into his house and look for information on if he’s in touch with Katherine. Stefan is the safer bet. If we need to, we’ll move onto Damon for information.”

Elena agreed. “Damon is keeping his distance for now, Stefan’s been everywhere I am. Should I get my flirt on?”

“No!” “Maybe a little.” Bonnie and Caroline said at the same time. Then they looked at each other. 

“Well, I kind of already started flirting.” Elena shrugged. 

Caroline coughed. “Eye fucking.” Cough.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. “Just don’t fall in love with him, because I’m pretty sure I’m going to kill him.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have outlined fourteen chapters, and written about eight of them. I will try to update weekly.


End file.
